Companies M&A rebound: How Ireland is bucking the global trend with rate cuts set to fuel more dealsThe number of deals completed in the first quarter of 2024 increased by double-digits but finance advisers say valuations are down sharply
Housing Engineers cast doubt on €3bn mica redress schemeHomeowners and engineers both claim the standard used to make decisions on how to fix thousands of damaged houses is outdated and could lead to homes not being remediated properly
Housing Exclusive: McGrath warned government ‘can’t reach 50,000 homes’ target without investment fundsOfficials led by John McCarthy, the chief economist at the Department of Finance, said a ‘new housing model’ with private capital at the core of it was needed
Insurance Commercial insurance premiums to ‘fall by 50% this year’ in huge reprieve for firmsColm Kelleher, managing director of LHK Group, said the M&A spree in the sector has been driven by international investors
Environment EU must move quickly to ensure no fraud in biofuel supply chain - Irish fuels industryThere have been growing concerns that the used cooking oil in renewable biofuels is fraudulent and may actually be coming from virgin palm oil outside of Europe
Housing Opinion: Want to solve the housing crisis? Leverage the billions in broadband investmentThe government’s ambition of achieving better regional development could also be helped by better utilising advances in broadband coverage
SMEs A fifth of Irish small businesses applied for bank credit in 2023Four-fifths of SMEs reported either no change or an increase in turnover in 2023, while 88 per cent made a profit or broke even
Banking Lorcan Allen: Bankinter has its work cut out to bring real competition to Ireland’s mortgage marketThe Spanish lender will need time to grow its market share in Ireland as it seeks to erode the dominance of the two big pillar banks
Sponsored Empowering the directors and future leaders of Ireland to succeedThe IoD Chartered Director Programme combines academic learning, real-world experience from leading experts and peer-to-peer learning, to provide directors and the C-suite with the know-how to excel in the boardroom.
Interview Michael McGrath interview: ‘We’ll help a business to survive, but only if it’s viable’Minister for finance accepts government is putting new costs on businesses but says that it can’t keep providing exceptional measures ahead of Budget 2025
Education Exclusive: Trinity College faces threat of industrial action from thousands of staffCountry’s oldest university has admitted that lack of policy for professional staff promotions ‘continues to be a source of discontent’ among workers
Companies Guinness 0.0: Huge rise in sales cause Diageo to push for more tapsNew St James’s Gate facility is brewing almost 90 million pints of non-alcoholic stout every year
Health Measuring progress: Record hospital spending, yet ‘war-zone’ conditions Why is record investment in hospitals not matched by higher activity? A new dataset shows what is driving the HSE’s ‘productivity puzzle’
Companies Ben Dunne’s gym business posted ten-fold profit increase in year prior to his deathThe colourful entrepreneur died in November last year following a suspected heart attack
Construction Construction sector ‘operating at just 80% capacity’New survey by Turner & Townsend shows contractors expect construction material inflation to level off over coming three-year period
Hospitality Dublin restaurant Hyde enters small firms rescue planThe restaurant opened in November 2022, serving ‘contemporary Asian cuisine’ throughout its three floors
Red C Poll Red C poll: Majority of voters would reject unity at annual cost of €20bn to stateRecent report found that public spending under a united Ireland would put huge financial pressure on Irish citizens
Politics Red C poll: Abolish ‘dreaded’ Universal Social Charge, say large majority of votersSixty per cent of people polled said they want the government to scrap the Universal Social Charge
Red C Poll Red C poll: Majority of voters want asylum seekers processed outside of EuropeA substantial portion of Sinn Féin voters changed their mind on the issue after party leadership made their position clear
Red C Poll Red C poll: Public don’t want to pay higher air fares for sustainable fuelTravellers have little inclination to subsidise environmentally friendly flying
The Last Post Matt Cooper: Helen McEntee’s car crash week sees confidence drain away from herJustice Minister’s performance at the Oireachtas committee was baffling, given questions were flagged in a Sunday newspaper two days before
Sport Attracting fan-owners and TikTokers key to Irish racing’s growthThe commercial head of Horse Racing Ireland said the sport is thriving here across all levels
Inflation Higher for longer: How businesses are struggling with sky-high costs even as inflation easesInflation has begun to cool as interest rate hikes take effect but energy, food and wage costs remain significantly higher than before - and are unlikely to fall
Comment Shane Coleman: For too long, the health service has served the people who work in it and not patientsHeartbreaking case of Aoife Johnston’s death in University Hospital Limerick will for many confirm the narrative that our health service is fundamentally broken
Analysis Colm Lauder: Why there are new signs of life for investors in UK property British real estate investment market conditions improving in early months of 2024
Defence Looming threats of war in Europe demand we put our defences on a war footingCommitting to spend almost £90bn a year on defence from 2030 is a big decision, but the government is clear that it’s necessary, given the threat posed by Russia
30 under 30: The bright young stars of Ireland’s tech sceneFeaturing AI all-stars, exciting entrepreneurs, developers and engineers, these are the leading lights of the next generation of tech in Ireland.
Interview Tines co-founder: We have a ‘divine right’ to beat our older competitors – because we’re betterThe software automation firm raised $50 million in its latest funding round as it looks to become a generational business
MedTech Irish medtech scores €15m AI partnership with NovartisDeciphex uses AI to interrogate tissue sections from biopsies to accelerate workflows and improve patient turnaround time and diagnostic accuracy
Commercial Property Workday reiterates commitment to Dublin after dropping office planThe software giant had planned a 550,000 square foot campus in Grangegorman
US Big Read: Could ‘hilbilly Palm Beach’ provide the setting for Alex Jones’ second act?The notorious conspiracy theorist has bought land outside the ghost town of Terlingua in west Texas, as his unlikely comeback continues
Comment Anton Savage: Misinformation is about to be turbo-charged, and we need to be ready for itThe crowdsourcing of truth may be popular with the likes of Elon Musk, but it will be a disaster for the rest of us
Film John Maguire on Film: That They May Face The Rising Sun is a gorgeous, contemplative delightThe winner of Best Film at this year’s IFTA awards will appeal to the the audiences who loved the Oscar-nominated The Quiet Girl
Books Book Review: Salman Rushdie’s Knife is a powerful meditation on traumaThe British-American author’s reflections on his brush with death at the hands of an assailant may be uneven, but are compelling nonetheless
Residential Former rectory in Ramelton in Donegal on the market for €895kThe picturesque former guest house sits in a woodland setting on just under two acres
Residential House of the week: Four-bed luxury city centre penthouse seeks €1.695mLocated on Fitzwilliam Lane, this well-presented home offers the best of both worlds with access to city amenities but tucked away off main roads
Residential D4 three-bed in mint condition with sunny garden guiding €995,000Perfect location for those looking for the convenience of top-grade suburban village amenities while retaining privacy
Commercial Property Maynooth bakery and café could hit the sweet spot at €1.25mThe building extending to about 350 square metres over two floors incorporating a well-appointed restaurant and extensive bakery